It is generally known that plate heat exchangers offer efficient transfer of heat from one fluid to another in a relatively small volume. Typically, plate heat exchangers include several plates to one hundred or more of plates which are stacked together and sealed together. Relatively small plate heat exchangers are often permanently sealed together via brazing, for example. Larger plate heat exchangers are more typically sealed via gaskets disposed between the plates or between pairs of plates. Because the gasket is disposed about the perimeter of each plate and because of the number of plates in a plate pack of the plate heat exchanger, there is typically between 100 meters (m) to 5 kilometers (km) total length of gasket material in a plate heat exchangers.
Plate packs are often disassembled to maintain the plates and gaskets. If the gasket releases from the plate during disassembly, reassembly is more difficult and time consuming. While various conventional gasket retention systems have been proposed, these systems are less than ideal for one reason or another.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a gasket retention system for plate heat exchangers that is able to overcome the foregoing disadvantages at least to some extent.